


The Best Decision

by CPTAdmen



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Cute, F/M, Flirting, Marriage, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-04 18:12:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6669043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CPTAdmen/pseuds/CPTAdmen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Headcanon-heavy tale of how a farmer and a sculptor fell in love. *Yes, I do use almost exact quotes from the game at times, I do not claim them as my own work*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The Best Decision   
1  
Sun broke through the dusty old window of Grandpa’s cabin at 6:00 sharp that first morning. I wasn’t really all that drowsy, Joja had me working morning shifts a lot; I was used to it. I rolled out of bed and stretched, looking around the room. The place was dusty, but devoid of cobwebs or signs of rats. It was clean, just uninhabited. A little fresh air and a broom and it’d be fine.   
I spent a while clearing room out front to sow what seeds I had. It wasn’t easy work, my muscles quickly grumbled in protest. Still, by the end of it there was a neat row of watered dirt with parsnips starting the slow process of growth. If I was gonna farm, I had to start somewhere. I stowed my tools and considered what to do with what was left of the day. Mayor Lewis did mention that I ought to introduce myself to a few of the other villagers, but he said a lot of them went to the saloon in the evening; I could find them later on.   
I wandered to the edge of the property, past a long line of overgrown grass, stray rocks and trees. I could still see where there had been rows of crops in some places. After a while, I knew I must have crossed the property line. The overgrowth evened out to a small forest path, and I dug in my pocket and glanced at the map of the town I’d picked up. A few people lived south of here, other than that it was just forest and a pond. Worth a noontime stroll at least.   
I meandered southward, listening to the birds, scooping up the occasional pinecone or other odd object. Even if I couldn’t hack it as a farmer, this would at least make for a nice vacation. I made my way towards the pond, it would be nice to put my feet in. The trees parted into a clearing, I could smell the water. There was a little dock out in the middle, with someone on it. Even from there I could see long orange hair and hear humming drifting across the water. I traced the edge of the water and started down the dock.   
She turned at the sound of creaking wood. “Hi.”   
“Hey!” I replied, a little overenthusiastic. “I’m…uh…” my words drooped out of my mouth as my mind processed the woman in front of me. She kept her hair in a long braid tucked around her shoulder and watched me with curious blue eyes. She wore a short green t shirt and suspender corduroy jeans, exposing a fit toned midriff. I shook my head to clear it after I realized I’d been staring.   
She smirked and raised an eyebrow. “The new farmer, right?”   
“Y-yeah! How’d you guess?”   
“One, everyone knows everyone out here and I’ve never seen you before. Two, you’ve got a big pack of dirty tools on your back.”   
I flushed and laughed shortly. “Right.”   
“Still a little tired?”   
“Yeah, bus ride was long.”   
She offered a hand. “I’m Leah. Nice to meet you Mr. Farmer.” I shook it, her hand was calloused and warm.   
“Nice to meet you, Leah.” We let go and I racked my mind for a new topic. “Nice, uh, nice day out, huh?” The weather. Nice Casanova.   
“Yeah! You picked a good time to move in. I love the forest out here in spring.”   
“I’ll look around it more, it’s beyond refreshing.”   
Leah smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Can I ask you something?”   
“Sure!”   
“Why’d you come out here?”   
I thought about grandpa’s letter, about how I’d started seeing my cubicle whenever I closed my eyes, the couple of nights I’d spent lying on my back staring at the ceiling unable to sleep. I mulled it all over, took a deep breath and said “I needed to leave…well, everything.”   
Leah nodded, looked to the side and mumbled “Guess that makes two of us.”   
“Hm?”   
“Nothing.” She smiled in farewell, turned back towards the water and said “Welcome to the valley.” 

A few weeks later, I’d started to learn Pelican Town pretty well. I had to admit, coming out here had been great for me. The work got harder every day, but I got stronger. I’d stopped thinking about Joja entirely, the people here helped. I honestly loved everyone I’d met, even Shane and George were all right once you talked to ‘em for a while. I wandered south of the farm in the afternoon one day, pack full of freshly harvested crops. I wanted to get some fishing in before I headed into town to sell the harvest. I strolled through the woods, humming part of a song I’d heard at the Stardrop. I’d only heard part of it as I left, so I mostly looped through it, keeping time with my footsteps.   
A familiar voice came from the trees off to my side and sang the last of the song. “So that’s how it ends?” I asked, nerves strumming like guitar strings.   
“Mhm!” Leah slid out from behind the tree line.   
“What brings you out here?” I asked.   
“I’m always out here in the spring, it’s where I find my inspiration.”   
“Inspiration for what?”   
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a sculptor.”   
“You didn’t tell me, that’s awesome!”   
Leah smiled and shrugged. “I’d like to think so. Off to the river?” she asked, pointing to the fishing pole over my shoulder.   
“Yep, fish are really jumping right now. Where are you headed?”   
“Just into town, I need lunch.”   
“Well, they aren’t great to eat on their own, but that reminds me.” I set my supplies down and fished inside my pack. “Big harvest today, here, have these.” I held out a few parsnips.   
Her eyes sparkled. “Really?”   
“Yeah. Call it payment for finally finishing that song for me if you want, it was driving me crazy.”   
Leah giggled and took the parsnips “Thanks. I love fresh veggies.”   
I shouldered my pack and said “I’ll keep that in mind. See you!”   
“Bye!” She wandered off to the east and I went south. I turned on my heel and watched her go. My heart had taken up the nasty habit of leaping into my throat whenever I saw her. I bounced a little on my heels to let out my giddiness. Off to the river, a little profit supplement and somewhere to vent some nervous energy. 

I wandered the woods for at least an hour every day that spring. Though I will confess, it was largely in hopes of running into Leah, I had taken a real liking to it. The sounds, the smells all of it was just the cooldown I needed after time on the farm or a lengthier workout in the mines. Whenever I’d had a fresh harvest or found something particularly nice growing wild, I’d always save a bit to share, just in case I came across her.   
When we did meet and I’d made such a find, she’d accept it always with genuine surprise and gratitude, frequently inviting me to sit and eat it on the spot with her. It was on those late afternoons, resting on the grass and watching the sunset that I first realized, I really loved this place. 

One morning I fished into my mailbox to find a reminder letter from Mayor Lewis. The Flower Dance was the next day. I’d be hard pressed to forget, it was all Hayley had been talking about. Still, this was my first year in town, it would be nice to soak up some of the traditions. A thought came to me, they were holding the dance in the clearing east of town. Leah and I would be heading the same direction the morning of, she might like to walk together. I’d already ruled out the possibility of dancing with her that year, she’d already told me her best friend Eliot had that honor. But, it wasn’t a short walk and Eliot was kind of a late riser. I watered my slowly growing field of crops and filled Brutus’ (my newly adopted cat) water bowl. I gave him a quick head pet and said “Wish me luck pal.” He responded with a quiet “Mrow,” and I headed south.   
I knocked twice on her cabin door. “Hello?” she called out.   
“It’s your northern neighbor!”   
“Hey! Come in!” I slipped inside, not wanting to let the cool air out. Leah’s cabin smelled like all the best kinds of plants and spices, with a strong undertone of paint. It was small, but clean and cozy, and littered head to toe with paintings, sculptures and art supplies. I didn’t spot Leah herself until she poked her head out from around the corner and motioned for me to come over. “Hey, come check this out.” I rounded the corner to find her stooped over an abstract wooden sculpture, the ground around it was covered in wood chips. She sheathed her hammer and chisel and stood back to let me get a clear view. “Whadya think?”   
“You did all of that yourself?”   
“Uhuh!”   
“All carved from one piece of wood?”   
“Yep!”   
“That’s…incredible!” I was being serious. Even if I couldn’t tell what I was looking at, I could tell hard, well done work when I saw it.  
“You think so?”   
“Yeah! I mean, I can barely see the chisel marks, and you did all of that from one log. That’s fantastic!”   
“Well, I did sand it a bit.”   
“Ah. Nevermind, it’s hideous,” I teased, hands up in surrender and smile still clearly on my face.   
She nudged my shoulder and moved to stand next to me. “Wood’s great to work with. Once you get past the outer layers, true nature starts to show,” she said.   
I thought about that for a moment, pondering the carving. “Yeah. It’s kinda the same thing with people.”   
“Hm? Oh! Yeah, I guess it is.” She scratched her neck and continued “I have to admit, it’s not easy to pay the bills as an artist.”   
“Have you ever thought about submitting any of your work to a gallery or anything like that?”   
She shrugged. “There aren’t really that many of them around here.”   
“Well, what about an art show here in Pelican Town? I mean, look at this place! You’ve got more than enough stuff here for an exhibition.”   
She paused at that. “Hmm... interesting. I guess that could set the wheels in motion to making Pelican Town a true art destination...” She moved back into the middle of the cabin and raised her arms. “I came out here partially because I figured it’d be full of other artists, but I haven’t really found any.” Her arms fell a little and she said “So I’d be the only one putting anything forward. What if no one likes my sculptures? I’ve gotta admit, I'd be crushed…”  
I looked around the cabin and said “Trust me, people will like them.”   
She studied me, not impolitely and finally said “I'll have to think about it.” She set her tools down and said “Wow I totally sidetracked you there. You came here for something, right? What’s up?”   
“Oh! Uh, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to walk over to the flower dance tomorrow.”   
“Sure, that’d be nice.”   
“Great! I’ll come by around 8:30?”   
“Perfect.”   
“All right then, it’s a date.”   
She raised an eyebrow “Oh?”   
My cheeks turned bright red. “Ah! Uh, when I say date I mean uh…”   
She giggled and said “Smooth one Romeo. I know what you meant.”   
I laughed nervously and turned for the door. “I’ll just, show myself out.” She scooped up her tools again and I turned back at the door. “I meant what I said earlier. You’ve got skill.”   
She gave me a smile that could melt an ice geode. “Thank you.” 

The Flower Dance turned out to be a nice way to spend a day off. Even Rasmodius and Marlon made their way out of the woodwork to enjoy the festival. I was reserved to the sidelines during the actual dance, but my work-weary muscles thanked me for it. While everyone else seemed in agreement that Hayley was the jewel of the performance, I only had eyes for Leah. It was on that late afternoon, watching her turn gracefully to the music in that beautiful white dress with her hair around her shoulders that I first realized, I really loved her.


	2. Chapter 2

Summer was my first battle with the inevitable. I watered my withering spring crops a few times, but it was no use. I came out one morning to behold a neat little field of baby-barf green plant carcasses and sighed. I went back inside and filled a sizeable sack with coins. “Just my luck, huh Brutus?”   
“Mow.”   
I pet the cat’s head and shouldered the sack. “I won’t be long.”  
I trekked to Pierre’s and plopped down onto a bench in the middle of town square to wait for it to open. I took long breaths of fresh morning air, for the first time the morning wasn’t the slightest bit chilly. I closed my eyes and tucked my hands behind my head, soaking in the sunlight.   
“What’s up Farmer Brown?” The bench evened out as Leah sat down beside me.   
“Hey! What brings you out here this early?”   
She shrugged. “Sun came in through the window, couldn’t sleep anymore.”   
“Heh, I know that feeling.”   
“How about you? What’s with the sack?”   
I flopped my limbs out and groaned “Uuuuuugh my whole field’s pretty much dead, the heat’s getting to ‘em. Gotta buy some in-season seeds.”   
“Oooo, sorry about that.”   
“Eh, it happens.” I turned to her and smiled, braided red hair and blue eyes would be a Pavlovian mood raiser for me if I spent much more time around her. “I’d still take three dead fields that size over another day working for Joja.”   
She laughed. “Ouch! You used to work for those bloodsuckers?”   
“Yep.”   
“What did you do?”   
“Tech support.” I shuddered comically. “Never again.”   
“You really did need to come out here, huh?”   
“More than you know.” I turned to look at her and caught her eye. “Hey…your eyes are purple.”   
“Oh, are they? I didn’t notice,” she teased.   
“S-sorry! I just thought they were blue all this time.” I shifted a little in my seat. “Does it…I mean, do they…?”   
“My vision’s fine, just a weird pigment thing.”   
“Mmm.” I blushed and mumbled “They’re pretty though,” before I could stop myself.   
She smiled and played absent mindedly with her braid. “I think Pierre’s is open now.”   
“Oh!” I turned around in time to see Marnie and Harvey wander into the store. “Yeah, I guess so.” We stood and she made to leave. “Hold on a second! Here, I found a sweet pea on my way.” I pulled the flower from my pack and passed it to her.   
“Ooo, thanks!” She sniffed it and said “Not gonna say something about it being just like my eyes?”   
“I’d like to think I’m a little smoother than that.” I shouldered my pack and walked towards the general store. “See you later!”   
“Bye! Wait, hey!” I turned back. “I’ve gotta move a sculpture later and it’s kinda awkward for one person. Could you come by around 4?”   
My heart leapt. “Yeah! Absolutely!”   
“Great! See you then!” 

I bought a fresh load of various seeds and spent the morning and much of the afternoon sewing them. My field was growing, now encircled by a fence and watched over by a scarecrow. I was starting to consider automating some of the process, maybe constructing a sprinkler system. Eventually 4 o’clock came around and I wandered south of the farm again.   
Leah’s cabin door was ajar when I got there. I went to knock, but paused when I heard something inside. Leah was talking to someone. “…many times do I have to tell you, I’m not coming back to the city!” I let my hand fall and considered walking away, until I heard “Stop calling me…I don’t want to hear from you anymore!” Leah slammed a phone down hard, the person hadn’t been in the same room.   
I gently pushed the door open and knocked softly. “Bad time?”   
She jumped and spun around. “Ah! Oh, it’s you. It is 4, isn’t it?” I nodded and she motioned for me to come inside. “Guess you heard me yelling on the phone?” I nodded and closed the door behind me. “That was my ex…”   
“I uh, I guessed but I didn’t want to assume.”   
She played with her braid and looked away. “Guess you kinda need more than that, huh?”   
“Not if you don’t want to.”   
“I don’t mind. We had an apartment together, back in the city. I did odd jobs during the day and spent all night working on art projects…we barely made enough to scrape by.” Her face grew sour. “He was always nagging me to go back to school or study business or medicine…something with a lot of money in it. I guess the idea was to save up for a normal life. You know… a house in the suburbs, kids, PTA meetings, that sort of thing.” She turned back to me. “I wasn’t ready for that kind of life…I had to leave. So I came here.” She took a deep breath and looked away again. “Was that selfish of me?”   
I smiled weakly and shook my head. “Not even a little bit. You did what you had to.” She turned to look at me, violet eyes searching mine. Her expression warmed and she nodded.   
“Thanks. You’re right, I just needed to hear it from someone else.”   
“I know the feeling. Besides, your ex sounds like a boring idiot.”   
She stifled a laugh with her hand. “Harsh! But…yeah, kinda.”   
“Hey, I recall there was a sculpture that needed moving, right?”   
She brightened and spun on her heel. “Yes! It’s the one you saw before.”   
“Got it. Still over here?”   
“Mhm!”   
I walked back to the other side of the cabin where the carved log was still resting and kneeled down to get a better grip. “Where’s it going?”   
She bent over the other side of the sculpture and said “Well that’s the funny thing. I was thinking, your place.”   
“Huh?”   
“I want you to have it.”   
“Really?”   
“Yeah, you’ve been amazing lately, I want to say thank you somehow.”   
I grinned like a big idiot. “Lift on three.” She tucked her fingers under the sculpture. “One, two, three!” We hefted it very easily. “Oh this is easy.”   
“Yeah, just awkward. Can you see where you’re going?”   
“Uh…kinda?”   
She giggled and started cautiously for the door. “Hope that field’s a little clearer then.” 

It was, but only just. A few minutes of stumbling later we managed to get in the front door of the cabin. “Where do you want to set it down?” she asked.   
“Let’s set it down next to the TV.” We placed the sculpture down and Brutus immediately trotted up to sniff and rub against the mysterious new object in the house.   
“Awww you have a cat!”   
“Heh, Marnie found the little guy and…well, I just couldn’t say no.”   
“What’s his name?”   
“Brutus.”   
Leah bent over and held her hand out. “Hey Brutus!” The cat turned and sniffed the unfamiliar hand. He mewed quietly and gave her a small nuzzle before marching off to explore the great outdoors.   
“Oof, he must be grumpy.”   
Leah chuckled. “Nah, I know cats. That’s pretty high praise.” She straightened up and looked around. “Robin’s been hard at work, huh? This place looks bigger.”   
“Yeah, this little cabin’s way nicer than before.” The once-barren walls now bore paintings of all kinds and a few new windows, the table had comfier chairs, I had a bookshelf full of volumes I’d had shipped in from the city and a few house plants I’d cut from the field outside. “What’s the sculpture’s name?”   
“Hm?”   
“I don’t see a plaque or anything. What did you decide to call the sculpture?”   
Leah thought for a moment and smiled. “I guess it’s called ‘How I Feel About You.’” I blinked and smiled back. Leah blushed and curled a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, um, I’ve…got a thing I need to uh…”   
I stepped forward and hugged her. “I understand. Thank you for the sculpture.”   
A small surprised gasp entered my ear, then a small sigh as she hugged me back. “I’m glad you like it.”


	3. Chapter 3

3

                “Unh! Damnit! C’mon! Come here you little…” I rounded the corner of the brush and found Leah looking up at a tree.

                “Having trouble?”

                She turned and pointed up. It was an apple tree, bearing plenty of green nubs and a single ruby red apple. “Look at that beauty!”

                I nodded appreciatively. “It’s just about perfect.”

                “Yeah, and perfectly frustrating! I’m *ach!* just short!” she hoped in vain, her fingers just sailing under the fruit.

                I looked at her, then at the apple, and did some quick mental math. “Hmm. I can get that for you, if you trust me.”

                Leah put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? I don’t see how, you’re not much taller than me.”

                “Like I said, trust me.”

                She looked back up at the fruit and sighed. “All right, whatcha gonna try?”

                I walked up behind her and bent my legs. “This, hang on.” I tucked my hands around her middle and lifted her onto my shoulders.

                “Wuuah! Oh! Hahahaha! You’re stronger than you look!”

                “Heheh, not too much stronger, I can’t do this for long, grab it!”

                Leah easily plucked the apple from its branch and I lowered her back to the ground. She spun around and held the fruit in triumph. “Hmhm! Many thanks mister farmer.”

                “Glad to be of service miss Leah.”

                “Hmm, if my art career flops, it’s nice to know I’ve got someone to catch me.” My heart jumped a mile and I blushed bright red. “As payment for services rendered, I insist you take half of this magnificent bounty. Got a knife?”

                That sentence jogged me back to the present and I reached into my pack. “I’ve got something better, actually.” I gripped my new prize and took a few steps back. “Now, when I say go, throw the apple at me.”

                “Huh?”

                “Pitch it like a baseball, I’m ready.” Leah studied me curiously, but readied the fruit all the same. “Ready? Now!” She tossed the fruit and in an instant, I drew my newfound sword and split it midair.

                “Wow, nice! Did you get that from Marlon?”

                “Believe it or not I found this one. It was in an old chest down in the mines,” I replied, stooping to pick up the apple halves.

                “Why’s it black? Is it just old?”

                “Here, take a look. Careful, it’s _very_ sharp.” I held the blade out to show and it sparkled a faint green in the afternoon sun.

                “Obsidian…” she said softly.

                “Makes for an exquisitely fine apple slice,” I said, holding out one half. She laughed and took a big bite. I sheathed the sword and bit into my own half, it tasted just as good as it looked.

                “So, not just a farmer but a monster hunter?”

                I shrugged. “Part time.”

                “Let’s walk and talk, tell me all about it.”

 

                We wandered Cindersap Forest for a while and I told her about my excursions into the old mines. Once that had run out, I talked about the farm. The little patch of dirt had grown to a sizeable field, and now I had a pair of chickens.

                “What are their names?” she asked.

                “Budurk and Busy.”

                “I get Busy, but…?”

                “Well, that’s the noise she makes when we look at each other. ‘Budurk?’”

                Leah laughed. “Perfect.”

               

                Eventually we sat down on the edge of the dock by the pond to watch the sun set. “I can’t believe summer’s almost over,” she lamented.   

                “Yeah, major bummer. Pumpkin season soon though!”

                “And blackberry season!”

                “Big blackberry fan?”

                “You’ve got no idea. Don’t wait up once they start getting ripe.”

                “I’ll keep that in mind.” We fell quiet for a while and listened to the birds and crickets.

                “Hey, I’ve been thinking about that art show.”

                “And?”

                She bit her lip and swung her legs over the side of the dock. “I’m thinking about it. Making a few theoretical lists of what I’d show.”

                “Let me know when it’s happening.”

                She turned and looked into my eyes. “I will.” A warm calloused hand curled around mine. I jumped a little and she giggled. “Is this okay?”

                “Y-yeah, just a little unexpected.” Our fingers curled together a little more comfortably. 

                “Thanks.”

                “For what?”

                She shrugged. “For coming to Stardew Valley, for hanging out with me, for being really cute. Pick your favorite.”

                I was suddenly very grateful the setting sun gave _everything_ a flushed appearance. “How about all three?”

                “Hmhm! Sure. Man I could really go for some…”

                “Coffee?” I said, digging a thermos from my pack.

                “How do you always know?”

                I shrugged and poured out a cap full. “Call it intuition.”

She took the cap and looked back towards the setting sun. “I think that’s what I’ll name my next sculpture. ‘Call it Intuition.’”

                “What kind of sculpture is it gonna be?”

                She drank and passed the cap back. “Not sure yet. I just know the feeling I want to make physical.” She rested her head on my shoulder. “The one I always get when I’m around you.”

 

4

                Very soon it was autumn, harvest season. My field had swelled even more, and most of my savings had been poured into filling it out with a large variety of crops, and a few more chickens to make the coop a little livelier. I’d also installed sprinklers, no more morning watering duty for me. Of course it also got colder, which meant I had a certain surprise waiting for me every morning.

                I woke to a mouthful of ginger fur and quickly sat up. Brutus tumbled further down the bed and let out an anguished yowl of surprise. “Ach, sorry buddy. That’s what you get when you sleep on my face though.”

                “Moww,” he replied accusingly.

I pulled myself out of bed and slid into my boots. “Time to make the mayo pal.” I marched across the house and out the front door, directly into Leah who was about to knock. We stumbled, she started to fall and I reached out and caught her hand.

“Whu!? Oh! Hnhn! Nice catch!”

“Thanks, sorry! You all right?”

“I’m fine.”

“What brings you out here?”

Leah tucked her hands behind her back and kicked her boots around. “I came to invite you in person.”

“To what?”

Leah blinked her shining purple eyes at me, smiling away. “Can you gueeeess?” I wracked my brain, had I missed something? The fair wasn’t for a few weeks, Spirit’s Eve wasn’t until the end of the month. I shook my head.

                “I’m doing my art show in town!”

                “Really!?”

                “Yeah! I talked to Lewis and he helped me set things up! We’re starting at 3:00!”

                “That’s awesome!”

                “So you’ll be there?”

                “What kind of question is that? Of course I will!”

                Leah beamed. “It wouldn’t be nearly as fun without you.” She started to turn on her heel. That moment took at least five seconds longer than it should have. I wanted to go after her, pull her back into a hug, tell her how happy I was for her. Hold her tight to me and inhale the smell of fresh air and sandalwood. But away she went, calling “See you there!” over her shoulder. I waved and let it go. There would be another time. There had to be. Brutus rubbed up against my leg, I realized I’d been standing there for a few minutes. Art show or no art show, chickens needed feeding, corn needed harvesting.

               

                I could see town square packed as I came off the little dirt road from the farm and my heart soared. It looked like the whole town had showed up. They crowded around what could only be Leah’s sculptures. Some smooth and elegant, some wild and weird, but all distinctly her. I said hello to whoever spotted me, but mostly just tried to make my way through to the center of the crowd. A familiar flash of green and orange caught my eye, Leah turned to face me. “Hey! You’re here!”

                “And I’m not alone, you really packed ‘em in!”

                “I know! It’s crazy!” Her cheeks were bright with color as she turned every which way, barely containing her nerves.

“Hey, good work. You got this, okay?”

She took a deep breath and said “Okay…I guess I’d better introduce my pieces. Wish me luck!” I nodded and stepped back to let her have center stage. “Umm…Okay everyone!” the crowd settled and turned to face her. “Thanks for coming to my art show. As some of you know, I came to this town because I wanted to draw inspiration from the beautiful surroundings.” I was probably imagining it, but it felt like she was looking at me when she said “This place really feels like home now.” She turned and spread her arms. “Allow me to introduce my sculptures!”

First was a human figure, carved from stone. “I haven’t named this one, yet. She started out as an exercise in human anatomy, but I ended up seeing her through to completion. Her expression is intentionally unclear…is she embarrassed, amused, pained? I’ll leave that for you to decide.” Then she crossed to a mishmash of purple. “This one’s called ‘Post-Dimensional Nullspace’. It represents the boundary of human imagination. The shape and color came to me vividly when I was in a trance state.” Then over to a pair of dancing statues. “I’ve been calling this one “Egg Heads’. I wanted to create an animatronic humanoid statue to toy with the viewer’s ability to properly attribute personhood to a physical entity.” Then at last to a familiar looking carved log. “And the last on is called ‘Wood Sculpture 3’. It’s a celebration of my favorite sculpting material…wood.”

She scratched her neck nervously and finished with “Well, those are my sculptures!” She paused and then said “Oh! One last thing!” She turned to face me, this time I couldn’t have been imagining it. “I’d like to say thanks to our new farmer. He gave me the idea for this show and the courage to go through with it. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true.” Mayor Lewis said he was proud, the crowd quickly went into doing the same praising this work or that one. Not the lame sort of praise you gave to a kid for a paper volcano science project, real praise. Her work was _good,_ and all of us liked it.

Leah beamed and shook hands all around, playing with her braid and still flushed below the eyes. Mayor Lewis called for the bids to start and I swear it looked like she was going to faint. I stifled a laugh and watched her barely contain her joy as people started calling out for their favorite. I’d have bid myself, but my pockets were empty, I’d spent the last of my summer profits to have Clint build me a new watering can. Instead I busied myself with watching Leah glow with joy in the bright autumn sun.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something strange. There was one person in the crowd I didn’t recognize, and he didn’t look happy at all. I thought I’d met everyone in town, but his face was new. I knew it was just the emotions running high and my own very large crush, but I could have sworn he was scowling at Leah. As quickly as I’d seen him Sam blocked my view and I shook it off. Whoever he was didn’t matter, Leah had gotten exactly what she needed, and now I had to figure out something even trickier than this art show. I had to tell her how I felt.     


End file.
